


Trick or Treat

by Thundersnow (pieprincess_andthe_fallenangel)



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, BAMF Barry Allen, BAMF Leonard Snart, Bisexual Barry Allen, Blow Jobs, Canon Compliant, ColdFlash Week 2018, First Dates, Fluff, Halloween, Humour, Ice Powers, Kid Fic, Leonard Snart Doesn't Know Barry Allen is The Flash, Lewis Snart's A+ Parenting, M/M, Masturbation, Metahumans, Minor Character Death, Pansexual Leonard Snart, Secret Identity, Secret Relationship, Sexual Tension, Single Parents, Snart Family Feels, coldflash - Freeform, single dad Leonard Snart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-08-06 22:13:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16396073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pieprincess_andthe_fallenangel/pseuds/Thundersnow
Summary: Only days after stealing the cold gun, Len is tracked down by an ex-girlfriend and discovers that he is the father to a little 5-year-old girl with meta powers. As he struggles to balance his old life of crime with his new life as a father, he finds new love in the very man that could either save him or throw him even deeper underwater..Barry is surprised to see Captain Cold show up on his doorstep this Halloween, his heart beating fast as he worries that Snart has discovered his identity. But that night, Barry sees a new side of Leonard that he never thought was possible.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len meets that one person who will change his life forever: his daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s nearly Halloween so what better time to post a kid fic? I love single Dad Len but we have so little of it in this fandom, so I wrote this to make up for that. It was inspired by the Halloween prompt for Coldflash Week 2018, but I didn’t have the time to write it any earlier and so I only made an au for it (which you can find [here on tumblr](http://pieprincess-andthe-fallenangel.tumblr.com/post/178703924607/coldflash-week-2018-halloween-only-days-after) or [here on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/BomhaXAlMUJ/?taken-by=ss.sterek)) with a promise for an upcoming fanfic. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and I’d love to hear some feedback!

Len was ecstatic: he’d faced up against a speedster and won. The Kahndaq Dynasty Diamond was safe in his pocket and he didn’t even have to split the profit. He was all smiles as he went back to his safehouse. His plan _had_ been the head out of town with the diamond but maybe it was worth sticking around for a while to see how everything played out?

He’d had a lot of fun this last few days, this speedster showing up had really forced Len to step up his game. Before he’d been getting bored with his work: it didn’t offer the same thrill that it used to. But what he’d done tonight was on another level, one he’d never even known existed until a few days ago. He’d actually been kind of relieved when the speedster’s friends had shown up. If he’d killed the speedster then the game would have stopped and Len didn’t actually want that. It was risky leaving the Streak alive, but Len had to hope that he’d made the right call.

Len placed his diamond into the hidden safe and stripped off his parka. He was thrumming with energy but he couldn’t afford to go out tonight in public so soon after a heist with the police and the speedster on his tail. He shouldn’t be seen in public until the heat on him had died down a bit. Right now, probably every cop in town had his face memorised and they were out scouting for any sign of him.

Len unstrapped the cold gun from his thigh and placed it onto the table, right next to the heat gun that he’d stolen for Mick. It was Len’s way of apologising for how things had gone down between them. He’d make his way over to Keystone in a week or so, and he’d approach Mick with a plan and the peace offering. But right now he just needed a drink.

Len cracked open a beer and relaxed back onto his sofa. He was too energised to watch TV or read a book. So instead he began stroking himself lazily through his jeans, encouraging his dick to stir. Len took a swig of his beer and sighed audibly. If there was one benefit to being alone after a heist, this was it. He let the energy and excitement of the night consume him as he unzipped his jeans and slipped his hand inside, cupping himself with his chilled fingers.

Len took another sip from his drink and sunk down lower into his seat, opening his legs wider as his dick began to harden in his hand. Len pulled himself free and leisurely stroked his own cock. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, picturing the night's events so vividly as he worked himself towards completion. He’d never felt so powerful and in control before as he had when he faced up against the Streak with his cold gun in hand. And yet, at the same time, it’d felt like he was walking on a tightrope without a safety net and could at any moment fall to his death.

But it was that _danger_ in this new uncharted territory that made it so enticing. Len could feel the precum building on the tip of his dick and slowly dripping down; he groaned deep in the back of his throat. Len used his thumb to smear it around, playing with his slit lightly before returning to pumping his cock.

Len thought of the speedster then. He thought about the feeling of electricity in the air when the man had shown up on that train during Len’s getaway. He thought of how much fun it’d been to outsmart and dominate the speedster at his own game.

Len’s dick gave a twitch in his hand as his mind wandered into _other_ ways he could dominate the speedster and Len gasped, arching his back and feeling pleasure thrum through his body from his throbbing cock.

He thought about pushing the speedster down onto his knees and fucking into his pretty little mouth.

Len’s hips rocked into his hand, his cock leaking with precum.

Len pictured the speedster sucking him down greedily, rubbing himself off through that _tight_ red suit as he deepthroated Len’s dick.

Len imagined what it would sound like if the speedster moaned around Len’s cock in his mouth, how it would _feel_ …

He came into his hand a moment later with a guttural moan of his own, his body quaking with the force of his orgasm. He sat there, panting and sweating, his mind peacefully blank as he came down from his high.

Len opened his eyes only once he realised that he was no longer holding his beer. It was lying next to him on its side as the last of its contents dripped from the bottle onto the floor. Len hadn’t even noticed when he’d dropped it. With a sigh, he shoved himself back into his jeans and moved to clean up. A quick wash of his hands and a scrub of the floor and Len was set to go.

He grabbed the long overcoat that was draped over the back of a nearby chair, placing the cold gun back into the strap on his thigh, and left. He’d never been much for sleeping at his safehouses and with no team members to placate, he could just go home after dropping off his loot. And so that’s what he did. It was only a short walk between this particular safe house and his apartment, about 10 minutes, but the cool air helped to clear his mind.

He shouldn’t have let his mind wander when he was masturbating. The Streak had been a good opponent: with the way he’d swapped banter with Len, the cocky grin he wore, and not to mention the air of unbridled power he gave off his waves. Combine with the way that tight red suit had just hugged him _all over_ … he was exactly Len’s type. But Len knew he couldn’t afford to let himself indulge in such fantasies. When he next went up against the speedster, which he hoped would be very soon, he would need a clear head and not a horny one. This was the first and _last_ time that Len would allow himself such thoughts.

When he got back to his apartment, he stripped off his coat and placed his cold gun on the kitchen countertop. He planned to make himself some food, have a shower, and go to sleep. But then he saw the flashing light on his answering machine and frowned to himself: not many people had that number and those that _did_ have it would have rung his burner first if they needed to get hold of him.

He double checked his mobile to see that he had no missed calls or texts before pressing the button on his answering machine:

‘ _You have 1 new message_ ’ the machine said. Len waited next to it, still frowning. ‘ _First new message, received today at 3:47 pm_ ’ the machine then beeped and a familiar voice began speaking, it took him only a moment to place a face to the voice. When he did, Len frowned deeper and leaned back against the back couch behind him and she spoke. ‘ _Hey, Lenny… I know this probably seems really out of the blue to you but… I heard you’re back in Central – at least for the time being. I hope I haven’t missed you already because we really need to talk, Len. It’s important. Call me back._ ’ The woman ended the call with her number and hung up. ‘ _End of messages._ ’

Len only hesitated a moment before picking up his phone and calling her back. Andrea Mendoza was an expert thief that Len had met about 7 years ago on a job. They worked together a few times before eventually getting together. But their relationship had never been anything serious. Or, at least, Len had never _thought_ it was serious. Until Andy came to him one day asking about getting out of the business, settling down, living a normal life. Len had never thought she’d wanted any of that. _He_ sure as hell hadn’t. He wasn’t made for a normal life. He turned her down and so she left and he never heard from her again.

Len had thought about her sometimes over the past 6 years, but he’d never tried to find her. She’d said she wanted a normal life and Len wasn’t going to interfere with that. Which was why it was such a surprise to hear her message. He owed it to her to hear her out.

“Hello?” Andy answered. She sounded tired which made Len look to the clock on his stove. It was nearly 11 pm on a weekday, he supposed she must have been asleep. “Len?”

“Hey, Andy,” he said cautiously. He heard her sigh on the other end of the line.

“I’m glad you called,” she said, sounding relieved. “I’ve been trying to find you for a few months now. I need to tell you something.”

“And that is?” Len asked.

“Too complicated to say over the phone,” she muttered. “Can we meet? Tomorrow morning?”

“It would need to be in private,” Len hedged, indicating but not outright saying that he’d just pulled a job and needed to lie low for a while, but Andy seemed unphased by that.

“I’ll give you my address,” she replied quickly before rattling off the street name and number. Len confirmed that he’d be there and then he hung up.

“Well, this should be interesting,” he muttered to himself.

[] [] []

Len supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised when he found Andy’s house in the suburbs on the outskirts of Central City: he’d known that she wanted a normal life. But, still, he had just never imagined the ‘white picket fence’ life for her.

Her street was quiet and calm, the air seemed a little cleaner, all of the houses had gardens with luscious green grass and bright blooming flowers. No, this was nothing like the Andy he had known.

His guard was up as he knocked on the door, not knowing what to expect. He’d left his cold gun at home but he’d tucked a small pistol into the inside of his coat: Len _did_ trust Andy, but he wasn’t an idiot. There had to be a reason for this visit and Len needed to be prepared for whatever that was. But nothing malicious was waiting on the other side of the door for him.

Andy opened the door with a small smile and Len could only blink at her. The Andrea Mendoza that Len had dated 6 years ago was a strong woman, both mentally and physically. She’d been bounced from abusive foster carer to abusive foster carer for most of her childhood after her parents had died in a car crash when she was eight. So she’d learnt to protect herself. Len had once watched her break a man’s arm without breaking a sweat.

But now…

Andrea was thin, too thin, as though she would fall over at a moderate gust of wind. Her lips were cracked and her once tan skin had paled and now looked sunken, a stark contrast to the dark circles under her eyes.

“Hey, Lenny,” she said softly and pulled him in for a hug that he was too shocked to even think to refuse. She invited him into her home and led him to the living room. “Would you like a drink?” She asked and then paused. “I don’t think I have any coffee, but I’m sure there some juice or milk or…” Andy trailed off and Len shook his head.

“You’re ill,” he said instead of answering her question. He didn’t want to put it off. Andy smiled sadly and nodded once, sitting down on the chair next to him.

“Cancer,” she explained. “I was diagnosed two years ago. I thought I’d beaten it but…”

“It came back?” Len asked softly and Andy nodded.

“I’m dying, Len,” she said, her voice quiet and tired. It made the hairs on Len’s arms stand up. “The doctor’s don’t know when exactly. But I haven’t been responding to chemo this time around.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, not knowing what else he _could_ say. They’d never been in love, but he’d cared deeply for Andrea and always wanted the best for her. Andy then took a deep breath and straightened up on her chair. She shook her head slightly as though to clear it.

“But that’s not why I’ve called you.” Len frowned again and sat a little straighter too. What could be more important than… _this_? “I called because… well, you have a daughter.”

That was… unexpected.

Len said nothing. At first, his mind fell completely blank. But as the seconds passed it erupted into action. He was suddenly piecing together everything that had happened between himself and Andy six years ago, seeing it under a new light and realising why she’d changed her life so suddenly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” she said as Len remained silent. “I was going to… but I didn’t want our lives for her. We were just two lowlife criminals, scrambling to find any way to feel alive. I wanted her to have everything that we couldn’t: a better education, better opportunities, better _life_.” Andy was speaking as though she had rehearsed this speech a million times over, but Len still remained silent. “You didn’t want this life and so I just… never told you about her.

“But now things are different. I’m dying and I have no other family to take care of her when I’m gone. I know this is asking a lot, Len… but I’d rather her be raised a criminal than being put into foster care.” Andy’s voice was cracking a little and her eyes were beginning to turn red as though she was fighting back tears. “Please say something,” she eventually said.

But what could Len say? That he was more dangerous than ever? That he was unfit to raise and care for a child? That _anything_ would be a better option than him?

Len didn’t say any of that. It was all true… probably. But how could he look his dying friend in the eyes and tell her that he, her last and only option, wouldn’t look after her child when she was gone? _His_ child. His _daughter_. Len’s chest grew tighter.

“What’s her name?” He finally asked and Andy smiled so wide that it looked painful as her thin skin stretched over her cheekbones.

“Sophie. Our daughter’s name is Sophie.”

**[ _Several months later_ ]**

Barry was _tense_.

It was Halloween night, probably the craziest night of the year where law enforcement was concerned. There was something about putting on a costume that made people feel more powerful. As the Flash, Barry could understand that: every time he put on that cowl, he became something bigger than himself. It was freeing, but also a little scary how lost Barry Allen could become inside the persona of _the Flash_.

Psychologists called it deindividuation, Joe called it a scapegoat for young criminals in the making, but either way, it was true that Halloween brought out the worst in people. Which is why Barry was so surprised to find out he wasn’t being put on call this year at work. He didn’t mind though: he’d rather be out there _preventing_ crimes as the Flash than stuck in a building analysing them after the fact.

Except that Eddie had let it slip that Barry was free tonight, which meant that Iris was on her way over with a bag full of scary movies. It wasn’t that he didn’t _want_ to spend time with Iris because of course, he did! Even with the tension that had arisen that they were still trying to work through after Barry confessed his feelings to her and she turned him down. It was awkward, but Barry wanted to be in her life… even if it was only as a friend. So, no, that wasn’t the issue here. The issue was that it was Halloween but he wasn’t able to help anyone.

And so Barry was tense.

Every now and then, some of the younger trick or treaters would knock on Joe’s door and pull Barry out of his thoughts. He tried to relax, tried to just be Barry Allen for a night, but it was difficult. Barry was nervously tidying when there was another knock at the door. He opened it to find a young girl dressed in a clearly-handmade Elsa costume and holding a plastic snowflake-shaped bucket, with her dad who was wearing a red velvety-looking hoodie.

He looked familiar but Barry couldn’t quite place where they’d met. He tried not to pay too much attention to the dad, feeling butterflies swirl in his stomach at the man’s chiselled face and stunning blue eyes.

“Trick or treat!” The young girl, no older than 5, sang. And Barry pulled his attention back to her, smiling.

“Oh, wow!” Barry said. “What a cute little Elsa you are!” She gave a twirl, showing off the sparkly snowflake clips in her mousy brown hair while making the skirt of her dress float elegantly. “Definitely royalty,” Barry nodded and the little girl laughed.

“Thank you!” She grinned. “My aunty made it b’cause my daddy is grumpy,” she said and Barry laughed, looking back at the man in front of him who was smiling and rolling his eyes at his daughter’s words, or most likely his _sister’s_ words being repeated back by his daughter. Either way, it was cute. And Barry wasn’t just saying that because the guy was hot, which he _was_. Barry returned his attention back to the little girl.

“Is your daddy dressed up too?” He asked and she nodded and then moved in closer as though she was telling Barry a secret.

“He’s the _Flash_ ,” she whispered excitedly. And Barry laughed, feeling something stir in his chest at the thought of someone choosing to dress up as _him_. He still wasn’t used to this kind of public admiration yet. And the fact that the guy was _super_ hot just made the whole situation even better.

“The Flash… but with more style,” the man countered playfully and that _voice_ …

It sent a chill down Barry’s spine. And not the good kind.

Now Barry knew why he looked so familiar. It had been _months_ since he’d last heard it but that drawl was unforgettable. And Barry now knew, without a doubt, that the man standing in front of him was Leonard Snart.

Well, _crap_.

Barry froze. Was this all a game? Had Snart somehow figured out his identity? It couldn’t be a coincidence that Captain Cold had shown up at the Flash’s house on Halloween, claiming to be dressed as the Flash. There had to be some kind of explanation here!

Barry caught himself staring at Snart when the older man raised an eyebrow and smirked back at him. Fuck. He _knew_. How did he _know_?

“But you can’t tell anyone!” The little girl stage whispered again, demanding Barry attention. “His ident’tys a secret,” she then made a shushing motion. Barry looked down at her and then back up at Snart, and that’s when he saw the similarities between the two. They shared the same eyes and same nose, he realised. And then there was the way that Snart looked down at the girl and laughed. He looked at her as though she was his whole world. So… this wasn’t a game? This was _really_ Snart’s daughter?

Barry felt like he had mental whiplash.

“Of course,” Barry said slowly. “My lips are sealed.”

Barry’s mind was reeling. This was really the same man that had held him at gunpoint just a few months ago? That had killed that security guard and made off with a giant diamond the size of Barry’s fist? How could that be? Snart was a _villain_. He wasn’t supposed to be… good.

Barry was staring again. He _knew_ he was, but he just couldn’t stop himself.

“I see _you’re_ not wearing a costume,” Snart accused and Barry blinked before rolling his eyes.

“Oh yeah, like a red hoodie counts as a costume,” Barry scoffed back.

“I’m undercover,” Snart replied as though it was obvious.

“Yeah. Of course,” Barry snorted despite himself. Snart took a small step forward, looking at Barry so intensely that it surprised him

“You know… I can think of a costume or two that you would look _great_ in,” Snart continued, his eyes roaming slowly down Barry’s body and back up again. Barry blushed so deep at that that he could feel the redness creeping over his neck and chest. Snart seemed to _really_ be enjoying that. Oh, God. Captain Cold was flirting with him! He must have mistaken Barry’s staring as Barry being interested in him – which he was, but that was beside the point. This was… Barry didn’t even _know_ what this was. Stupid? Disastrous? Kind of hot? Maybe a bit of all three.

“Aren’t you going to give this poor girl her chocolate?” Iris said suddenly, announcing her arrival. She was standing at the bottom of the garden, leaning against a post as though she’d been there for a while. God, _when_ had she shown up?! “Or are you going to keep flirting with…” Iris made a gesture towards Snart, encompassing his whole body, “ _the_ _Flash_.” Her eyes were sparkling but Barry was dying on the inside.

Barry shook himself and grabbed the bowl of candy from the table beside the door. He lowered it down to the girl with an apologetic smile, his face still burning hot and his heart beating erratically in his chest.

“Thank you!” The girl said as she grabbed a chocolate bar. “Can I take one for my Mummy?” She asked then, looking between Barry and Snart as her smile started slipping. “She’s not very well.”

“Of course,” Barry said instantly. The girl looked at her dad for his approval and Snart nodded and smiled softly; he looked sad.

“That’s a great idea, Pumpkin,” he said and Barry started staring at him again. Pumpkin. Leonard Snart called his daughter _Pumpkin_. Was Barry asleep? Was this all just some weird, sugar-induced dream? Because that would make much more sense at this point.

“Hey, I’m Iris,” Iris said to Snart as she approached the porch. “And that is my friend Barry.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Snart drawled, looking back at Barry with a look in his eye that made Barry’s heart jump inside his chest. “I’m Len and this is Sophie,” he said, looking back down at his daughter who was smiling back up at him.

“I haven’t seen you around the neighbourhood before,” Iris said. There was a tone in her voice that told Barry that she was up to something and he had no way to stop whatever plan she was coming up with.

“I just moved here,” Snart, _Len_ , confirmed. “I bought the house on Crescent Avenue.” Barry baulked at that. Crescent Avenue was only a few streets away from here. Captain Cold was going to be living less than a five-minute walk away from the Flash’s house!

“Oh, really?” Iris said idly. “I guess you don’t know all of the good houses that give out the best candy on Halloween, then?” Oh crap… Barry knew where she was going with this now. He tried his best to tell her with his eyes that she needed to _stop_. But she wasn’t paying Barry any of her attention and she _clearly_ had no idea who it was she was talking to. “Oh, I know!” She said innocently. “How about Barry shows you around tonight? We’ve been living here since we were kids. I’m sure you still remember all the families that spring for the full-sized candy bars, right Barry?” Iris asked. And then all three pairs of eyes turned to him.

“I… I don’t know…” Barry started, his blush building up again once more. God dammit, the night had barely begun and it was already a disaster. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to impose…” he said.

“It would be my pleasure… Barry,” Snart said, his eyes seeming to undress Barry, looking at him bare in a way that made him both nervous and a little hot. And then there was little Sophie standing next to Snart with the biggest puppy dog eyes that Barry had ever seen. How could he say no?

Seriously?

 _How_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First part done! I hope you all liked it :D This was only supposed to be a little drabble, you know. Like the whole fic was originally going to be 5k max. But I just couldn’t help myself and now it’s looking like it’s going to be over 40k… whoops.
> 
> I have to be honest with something here though, I haven’t quite decided yet whether Len is going to fall back into his old patterns of being a thief, or if he’s going to join Team Flash now that he has a daughter to protect. Both ways could work for me but I just can’t decide! So, I thought I’d put it up to a vote! Would you like Len to become a hero type or stay a villain? Let me know in the comments or DM me your vote on [my Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ss.sterek/?hl=en) or [my tumblr](http://pieprincess-andthe-fallenangel.tumblr.com/)!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry gets stuck showing Leonard Snart and his daughter around the neighbourhood. Life couldn’t get any weirder…

“How about Barry shows you around tonight? I’m sure you still remember all the families that spring for the full-sized candy bars, right Barry?” Iris asked with that fake-innocent grin of hers.

Fuck, fuck, _fuck_!

“I guess I could do that,” Barry agreed slowly, finding no way out of it. What possible reason could he give to turn this down that wouldn’t end up making Snart suspicious?!

“Yay!” Sophie said, jumping and hugging Barry’s waist. Barry smiled nervously as Iris took the bowl of candy from him. He grabbed a jacket from behind the door and, with a deep breath, moved out to give _Leonard Snart_ a candy tour of the neighbourhood.

“Have fun!” Iris called after him, having no idea what she’d just stuck him with. Barry put on a fake smile, inwardly cursing, and followed after the little girl skipping ahead of them. When she got to the road, Sophie turned to look at Barry for guidance. Barry gestured to the Petrelli’s two doors down from him. They’d always had a great selection to choose from when he went trick or treating. He just had to hope that not much had changed in the past 12 years.

“Did we interrupt your night?” Snart asked, looking back over his shoulder at where Iris was watching them leave. Sophie waited until they were only a few feet away before she skipped ahead again, and this drew Snart’s attention back to his daughter.

Daughter.

God! It was so damn weird to think of Leonard Snart as a _Dad_! And a loving one too, if the way he was watching over his daughter was anything to go by. Barry wondered yet again whether this was all just some weird dream.

“Your… friend?” Snart continued, the lift in his voice making it sounds as though it was a question. “You two didn’t have any plans, did you?” Wait. Was Snart trying to ask Barry whether or not he was fucking Iris?

“What? No!” Barry said quickly, looking up at Snart with wide eyes before quickly averting his gaze again. “We’re _are_ just friends,” he said. Barry may love Iris but it was clear that she didn’t feel the same way. Maybe if he had said something before she’d met Eddie then this would be different. But it was a waste of time playing the ‘ _what if_ ’ game, it only caused Barry more pain. “We’re just going to watch some scary movies and eat leftover candy.”

“Single then?” Len asked.

“What gave you that idea?” He said sarcastically with a huff of a laugh. Barry frowned at himself for a moment and almost berated himself for how he was talking to Snart as though he was just another, extremely attractive, neighbour. Which he _wasn’t_. He was a _criminal_.

But then… how else was he supposed to speak? Barry couldn’t exactly switch gears on Snart now: it would be too suspicious. He _needed_ to treat Snart the same way he would anyone else.

“You are _far_ too pretty to be single, Barry,” Len said, smirking at him as he glanced to Barry out of the corner of his eye. Barry didn’t know what to say to that. He was _literally_ flabbergasted, his mouth just opening and closing uselessly without saying a word.

Okay, no. Barry couldn’t deal with this. But… _the Flash_ could.

Sometimes Barry felt as though he and the Flash were two different people in the same body. Once he put on that cowl, he changed. He became stronger, more confident, more capable. And that’s what he needed right now.

But this time he was wearing another mask. He was wearing the mask of an innocent, naïve, man. Snart thought that Barry was clueless about his criminal past, but _Snart_ was the clueless one in this conversation.

“Are you coming on to me… _Len_?” Barry asked, feeling more capable already. He was in control here. He could do this. “Don’t start something you’re not going to finish.”

“Oh I intend to _finish_ ,” Snart drawled, eying Barry up and down.

“You could at least buy me dinner first,” Barry replied with a wink as they entered the Petrelli’s yard. Sophie was waiting for them eagerly and knocked loudly on the door once they were close enough.

“Trick or treat!” She said happily as Mr Petrelli opened the door to her. He was an old man, skinny with a head of grey hair. His wife had died several years ago and Barry hadn’t seen him out and about much since it’d happened. Seeing him now, so frail, Barry thought that maybe he might benefit from a visit from a health advisor.

“Frozen,” the man laughed as he handed out the chocolate. “My grandson loves that movie.”

Sophie asked the man, just as she had asked Barry, for an extra chocolate bar for her mother. He was quick to offer her the extra candy. Sophie thanked Mr Petrelli and they turned to leave.

The house next door was thoroughly decorated with pumpkins and giant spider webs and a bright, blood-spattered, ‘Happy Halloween’ banner in the window. Barry didn’t know the young couple who lived there, but Sophie got really excited when they got passed the large hedge and she saw the decorations. She tugged on Snart’s hand and pulled him towards the house, Barry following quietly.

Sophie skipped excitedly up to the door and Barry was surprised to see Snart’s soft smile for his daughter. It was so… domestic.

“Careful, Pumpkin,” Snart warned and then leant down to stage-whisper in her ear. “The giant spider might be home.” Sophie gasped and stopped to look closer at the giant spiderweb overhanging the porch. Snart stood up straight and made a shushing motion, encouraging his daughter to sneak past the spiderweb silently.

Barry couldn’t help but laugh at the sight and Sophie spun around to shush him.

“The spider might be home!” She repeated to him and Barry just about managed to control his smile into a more serious expression for the girl’s sake, nodding. When she turned back around he followed and stood beside Snart’s side as Sophie knocked on the door.

“Trick or treat!” She sang, after confirming with her dad that it was safe to make a noise again. The woman who opened the door was barely older than Barry. She had black hair and half of her face was painted like a doll. She picked a bowl up off of a cupboard sitting beside the door and offered it to Sophie to chose from. Just like before, Sophie asked if she could take a second bar home for her mum but the woman frowned.

“I bet your mummy doesn’t want to eat all that candy if she’s already sick,” the woman said, shaking her head. She put the bowl back on the cupboard. “Why don’t you share your bar with her? I’m sure that would make her happier.”

“Okay,” Sophie whispered, her shoulders sunk and she nodded her head. But Barry could see she was sad and that made him angry. Sophie turned away to face her dad and Barry stepped forward before the woman could shut the door.

“Hey,” he said, getting the woman’s attention. He smiled at her and offered out his hand for her to shake. “I’m Barry. You’re new here, right?” He asked. The woman shook his hand and nodded.

“Charlie. And yeah, my husband and I moved in just a few months ago,” she said.

“Well, welcome to the neighbourhood,” he said and then gestured to her Halloween makeup. “Love the costume.” The woman grinned and thanked him. “Though, I think it’s smudged a little bit,” he said, tapping his own face where the imaginary smudge was. The woman frowned and leant back to look in the mirror that was hanging in her entranceway. While she was distracted, Barry used his superspeed to grab an extra chocolate bar from the bowl sitting next to the door. He shoved it into his jacket pocket, taking a step back and waving goodbye to the woman. “See you around,” he called, still pretending to be the ‘good neighbour’.

Len and Sophie were waiting for him at the bottom of the porch, Len’s eyes were laser focussed and Barry had to worry that Snart had just seen him use his superpowers. But, no, he’d been careful. Snart had been behind him… he couldn’t have seen anything. Barry ignored the pit of worry in his stomach and smiled. He dug the chocolate bar out from his jacket pocket and handed it to Sophie.

“For your mum,” he said and Sophie squealed happily, hugging his waist as a way of saying thank you and then skipping ahead once more.

“She changed her mind?” Snart asked, his eyes darting occasionally between watching Barry’s face and keeping an eye on Sophie.

“Not exactly,” Barry shrugged. Snart raised his eyebrow at Barry, encouraging him to say more. “Just… a little distraction and sleight of hand,” Barry elaborated, feeling his neck heating up. To Barry’s surprised, Snart laughed: a deep, warm, full body kind of laugh that made Barry’s stomach fill with butterflies. He smiled back at Len automatically.

“Are you telling me you _stole_ it, Barry?” Len taunted, he was still smiling wide. And that smile was _distracting_.

He was _seconds_ away from responding with ‘ _you’re one to talk_ ’ when Sophie set off a motion-sensor Halloween decoration. It was a life-sized skeleton, standing up against a nearby fence and as Sophie got close enough to it, the decoration’s eyes lit up a bright red and it jolted suddenly forward, letting out a loud and menacing laugh.

Surprised by the decoration, Sophie let out a short scream and ran back to her dad’s side. There were already tears in her eyes and a hitch in her breathing as Len picked up and comforted his daughter. Barry’s heart jumped into his throat as he realised what he’d almost said. He was moments away from revealing that he knew _exactly_ who Len was! That would have been a terrible mistake.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Len cooed softly as Sophie buried her head in his shoulder. “It’s just a toy.”

“A t-toy?” Sophie spluttered, looking up and revealing her big reddened eyes. Len nodded and brushed the hair off of her face. The decoration was still laughing ahead of them as though it was mocking her.

“Mhm.”

Sniffling, Sophie slowly peaked over her shoulder to look back at the skeleton, then quickly buried her head back in Len’s hoodie.

“Sc… Scary,” she managed to say, shaking her head.

“Do you want me to go beat it up?” Len asked, sounding serious. Despite herself, Sophie let out a short, wet laugh. She nodded against Len’s shoulder and Len passed Sophie to Barry. Surprised, Barry took the little girl and watched Len march forward with the intent to beat up a, now silent, decoration. Sophie hugged Barry tightly and peaked over her shoulder again to watch her father.

“What are you doing?” Barry stage-whispered to Len, who turned around and gave Barry a wink. Barry wordlessly rocked Sophie as she calmed down and they both watched as Len hoped over the fence, far enough away from the toy so as to not set it off. He examined the skeleton and removed its batteries before picking it up and carrying it to the porch of the house. He then put the batteries back in and rang the doorbell, moving quickly to head back to Barry and Sophie.

Barry shook his head, though didn’t move to stop the situation, as the home’s owner opened the door and the movement instantly set off the sensor on the decoration, making it erupt to life. The unexpecting woman gave a shout of surprise dropping her candy on the floor, and jumping back out of sight.

Sophie shrieked with delight and Len scooped her back out of Barry’s arms, smirk in place at having avenged his daughter. They quickly crossed the street and moved off to the next house as the skeleton laughed manically in the distance. Barry was smiling, looking over at Sophie and Len, and forgetting about his earlier near-miss. Sophie had mostly stopped crying now, but she was picking at the tear-stained wet spot on Len’s hoodie.

“So’ry,” she said softly and Len shook his head, kissing her cheek gently.

“Nothing to apologise for,” Len assured her, but she still looked sad and sorry for herself.

“That thing was _scary_ ,” Barry said and Sophie looked his way, red spots splattering across her cheeks and forehead. “It even made _me_ jump and you were much closer to it. You were very brave.”

“Yeah?” She asked quietly and Barry nodded. She started to squirm and so Len put her back down on the ground. She hung back with them though, walking in between them and holding Len’s hand.

“I’ll protect you, Barry,” Snart teased, drawing Barry’s attention again. Barry rolled his eyes: he was used to people seeing him as weak.

“I can protect myself,” he said. It was supposed to be light, but maybe it came across as a bit defensive…

“I’m sure.”

“I _can_ ,” Barry insisted. “I could take you on!” And actually… maybe that wasn’t true? Barry suddenly was brought back to the times that he had fought Captain Cold, and how he had lost on both of those occasions. How had he let himself forget who he was talking to? This was _Leonard Snart_.

“Have you ever been in a fight, Barry?” Snart asked, amused, continuing on as though he hadn’t noticed Barry become suddenly tense.

“More than you’d think,” Barry answered seriously. Snart paused in his walking and looked Barry over a little closer. It made Barry feel bare again.

“What do you think, Pumpkin?” Snart asked his daughter, turning his head slightly to address her as his eyes remained fixed on Barry. “Do you think Barry can protect us?” Sophie looked at him and scrunched up her nose in concentration before shaking her head. “Well, there’s your answer,” Len drawled smoothly and Barry laughed, putting his hand to his chest in fake-offence.

“I’m _hurt_ , Sophie,” he said, making her laugh.

They started moving again, turning up the next driveway. Sophie looked a little happier as she knocked on and was given more candy to put in her snowflake-shaped bucket. Sophie looked to her dad and he nodded, encouraging her to ask for another bar for her mum. Mr Wilson was happy to give her an extra bar.

“And here you go, Barry,” Mr Wilson said, passing Snart and Barry their own chocolate bars too, claiming that it was only fair.

“You don’t have to…” Barry began to say.

“I’ll take yours!” Sophie immediately chimed in and so Barry took the chocolate quickly and held it to his chest, protecting it.

“I didn’t say _no_ ,” he said quickly and laughed as he watched Sophie pout. When they turned around though, he dropped his chocolate bar into her bucket. “For safekeeping,” he told her and then squinted at her suspiciously. “You wouldn’t let me forget it and then keep it all to yourself now, would you?” He asked and Sophie shook her head, grinning. She ran ahead again, her previous fright all but forgotten.

Next, they headed to the Warwick house.

“You lived here all your life?” Len asked casually as they walked, but not turning to face Barry as he kept his eyes on his little girl at all times. So the scare from the decoration wasn’t forgotten by _everyone_ yet then, he realised. Barry had to wonder if being a parent was worse for Snart than most people, knowing full well what dangers were around every corner. And that thought made Barry wonder if it had been worse for Joe, too. Maybe that was why he had been so overprotective with them as they grew up? Why he was _still_ overprotective of them now. Particularly of Iris.

“Most of it,” Barry said. “I moved in with Joe and Iris when I was 12.” Len spared him a glance but didn’t ask anything about what Barry’s life was like _before_ 12\. He could feel the question hanging between them though.

Barry didn’t usually lead with a rundown of his childhood trauma. Partially because everyone pitied him for it, partially because it creeped people out when he said his dad was in prison and no one actually ever believed in his innocence.

But somehow, he got the feeling that Snart wouldn’t judge.

“My mum died when I was a kid,” he said. “And they arrested my dad for it. But he’s innocent.” Snart spared him a glance again and then nodded.

“That must have been hard.”

“It was,” Barry admitted. “But Joe took me in and raised me like his own.”

“He sounds like a good man,” Len said and Barry nodded, smiling at the irony of Snart complimenting the very detective that was hell-bent on bringing him down.

“He is.”

They arrived at the Warwick house and Sophie knocked on, shouted trick or treat, and dug into their bowl of candy to pick out the best one. Mrs Warwick glanced over at Barry with a twinkle in her eyes and Barry blushed harder than he had the whole night. He realised what this looked like suddenly: standing so close to Snart as he was doing and showing around this adorable little girl. Combine that with the fact that pretty much everyone in this neighbourhood knew that Barry was into men after Mrs Baxter had caught him making out with a guy after a date when he was seventeen. And she didn’t exactly shy away from spreading his business around like wildfire. That had been his first kiss but now Barry could barely think about it without cringing…

So, yeah, that look Mrs Warwick was giving him? Without a doubt, she thought that he was married with a kid now. Fuck. He resigned himself to his fate as she opened her mouth to ask questions and probably coo over ‘ _what a great couple you make_ ’ when Sophie, bless her little heart, spoke first.

“Can I take a bar back for my Mummy?” She asked Mrs Warwick, just as she had asked several times already tonight. “She’s too ill to come trick ‘r treating with me.” Mrs Warwick was frowning instantly, seemingly too confused by the situation to bring up Barry’s love life, but gave a nod. Barry let out a sigh of relief and soon they were walking away. Barry’s mind returned to the previous conversation once they left Warwick’s yard.

“Do you believe me? About my father’s innocence?” He asked Len, surprised that he hadn’t seen even a hint of an eye roll when he’d brought it up earlier.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Len asked with a shrug. “You were 12, right?” He asked and Barry nodded. “So it’s been… what?”

“About 14 years.”

“And you’re still _this_ convinced he’s innocent. I don’t know your story, Barry, but you seem smart enough. If you’re still this sure of it after all this time, then there’s got to be a reason for that.”

“There is,” Barry said and Len nodded as though it was all that simple. “Most people don’t believe me,” he said idly and Len smirked.

“I’m not most people.”

“No… you’re not.” They arrived at the next house then and, this time, Barry was quick to introduce Len and Sophie as being new to the neighbourhood _before_ any assumptions could be made.

“Are you ashamed to be linked with us, Barry?” Len teased as they walked away from the house, clearly having noticed Barry’s attempt at strategically distancing them. “No wonder you’re still single,” he muttered to himself.

“Hey!” Barry replied, offended. “You’re single too!”

“Yes, but I have issues,” Len replied quickly and Barry laughed. When they came to the next house, Len beat Barry to the introductions. “Hi, I’m Len and this little queen is my daughter Sophie, we’re new to the neighbourhood,” he said and Barry’s only queue that he was up to something was a smirk and a wink he threw Barry’s way a millisecond before he continued with: “And I’m sure you’ve met my _husband_ , Barry.”

Barry was red all over from head to toes and it took a full five minutes before Mrs Plant accepted that it was all just a joke and he was _definitely not married with a kid_.

“Why would you do that?” Barry asked, his voice a little higher than normal, as they walked away.

“I think you’d be lucky to have us, Barry,” Len said with a shrug and a smirk. “Don’t you agree, Pumpkin?” He asked Sophie, who was now walking beside Len and holding his hand again. Barry didn’t think that she really clicked what was going on but she nodded her agreement anyway.

When they got to the next house, Barry jumped in again to introduce Len and Sophie, leaning in closer to Mr Hems to stage-whisper “just doing a little charity work, you know. Helping out the needy and inept” once Sophie was too distracted to overhear while digging through the bag of sweets to pick out her favourite option.

At the next house, Len retaliated by introducing Barry as his “mistress.”

“Okay! Okay! Truce?” Barry asked after that. Because it was either let this competition of theirs drop, or allow the lies escalate slowly from house to house until Barry was so embarrassed that he could no longer live in this neighbourhood anymore.

“I suppose so,” Len nodded with a smirk and they continued to the rest of the houses on Barry’s list, skipping the introductions from then on.

After a little while, Sophie began to get tired and Len ended up picking her up and carrying her to the next house. And there was something about the way that he hugged her tight as he carried her that warmed Barry’s heart. They’d only known each other for about forty minutes, but already the image of Captain Cold in Barry’s mind had begun to fade. Len was a criminal… but he was more than that. How could Barry even doubt that there was good inside Len when he saw _this_? Len decided it was probably time to go home as Sophie struggled to stay awake and so Barry walked them back to Crescent Avenue. He _could_ have just turned and gone home right now but, well, they were closer to Len’s house than to his own anyway.

And, maybe, _possibly_ , Barry didn’t want the night to end just yet. He’d have never expected to have this much fun with Leonard Snart. They took a more leisurely pace back, talking quieter so as to not disturb Sophie. But, eventually, Len began to slow.

“This is me,” Len said, digging out a pair of keys and unlocking a nearby car. Barry frowned, looking from the car to the house that it was parked in front of with a sold sign in its yard.

“I thought you lived here,” Barry said, confused, and Len nodded as he loaded his daughter into the car seat.

“I do,” he said. Len stood up and shut the door carefully, looking at Sophie sleeping peacefully in the back seat for a moment before turning to face Barry. “Her mum is ill,” he reminded Barry, his voice suddenly sombre. “She doesn’t have much time left. And I don’t want to take away whatever moments they have left together, so Sophie lives there.”

“I’m sorry,” Barry said softly. “I didn’t know.” Though he supposed he could have figured it out if he’d really paid attention to everything the little girl had said that night. “You’re a good guy, Len,” Barry finally said, feeling confident in his statement.

“You sound surprised.”

“I… no,” Barry shook his head and took a deep breath, trying not to give away any clue that they’d met before, twice before actually, under very different circumstances. “I just mean, there are so few decent people out there. But you _are_. Truly.”

“So are you,” Len nodded and then laughed. “And I have to admit that ‘ _good’_ is not usually my type.”

“I can be bad,” Barry replied, fake-offended. Len nodded and slinked closer.

“I’m sure you can,” he whispered into Barry’s ear, his breath caressing Barry’s cheek. Barry turned his head towards Len and kissed him. Len’s hands fell to Barry’s waist instantly and pulled him closer. Barry’s hand grasped hold of the red hoodie Len was wearing. It _was_ as soft as it looked, and such a stark contrast to the hard, fervent kiss. He could feel Len’s tongue searching against his lips and so he opened his mouth to it.

When they pulled apart, Barry was a hot mess and his body was thrumming eagerly. There had been so much… _passion_ and _want_ squeezed into that short moment. They stayed peacefully quiet for a moment, holding each other. But then Len pulled back a little bit, turning around to look inside the back seat of his car at his daughter.

“I need to go,” he said before turning back to look at Barry again. “Can I have your number.” Barry nodded and didn’t hesitate to rattle off his digits as Len typed them into his phone. Len leant in close for one last kiss, just a haste press of their lips, before moving back and getting into the car. “I’ll call you,” he said before closing the door and Barry nodded.

“You’d better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I never expected such a good response to the first chapter! So glad that you guys seem to like this and I hope the 2nd chapter was good too (I have mixed feelings about it, to be honest. Domestic Len is really hard to write in character since we’ve seen so little of him in this kind situation in canon). Also, I got them together really quickly in this fic, but there is still plenty of confusion and miscommunication ahead. So no worries about that! Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!
> 
> P.S. Just a warning: in about 2 and a half weeks I will be heading off to New Zealand for 24 days. I'm going to be doing a lot of backpacking so I can't guarantee that I'll have the time to write or the wifi to post new chapters. I'll try and post chapter 3 before I go but if I suddenly don't post again until mid-December, you know why.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry knows that what he’s doing is wrong, but he’s not going to let that stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, sorry. I had to split it into 2 because the second part is so long.

Barry didn’t know what had just come over him. He’d essentially just been on a date with Leonard Snart, a thief… a _murderer_. How had Barry let himself forget that? He’d just made out with a murderer. A murderer had his phone number! This was wrong on so many levels. He should have found a way to excuse himself and go home. He shouldn’t start thinking of Leonard as a good man just because of how he acts around his daughter. He shouldn’t want to see Len again. But, oh he did.

The man was just so attractive, so smart, so witty. And, yes, the way he acted around Sophie was absolutely adorable. It had been only six months or so since he faced off against Snart for the Kahndaq Dynasty Diamond… but maybe the thief had changed somehow. Maybe he deserved a second chance. Barry certainly hoped so, because the man he had met tonight was everything that Barry could have wanted.

But when had any relationship ever gone right for Barry Allen? It would be just his luck if Len turned out to be a vicious criminal after all.

Barry walked back to Joe’s house slowly, his mind caught in a loop as he wondered whether Len was one of the good guys or not. And it didn’t help that Iris was there waiting for him the second that he opened the door.

“So?” She prodded instantly before he even had a chance to close the door behind him and take off his jacket. “What’s Hottie like?” She asked. Barry just kind of shrugged and started picking at the candy still sitting beside the door. “Oh, come on!” She pouted as Barry stuffed chocolate into his mouth to avoid answering her. “Give me something here, Bear! Did you like him?”

Well, that at least was an easy question to answer. Barry, reluctantly, nodded. There was no denying that he _did_ like Len. Barry sat down and was about to unwrap another chocolate bar, but Iris pinched it from him before he got the chance.

“Talk to me, Barry,” she pleaded.

“Your puppy dog eyes need some work,” he muttered after swallowing his last bite. Iris laughed and moved to sit next to him on the sofa, tucking her legs up and shifting to face him full on. Barry sighed and nodded, resigned to his fate.

It wasn’t just that talking with Iris about someone he liked was _awkward_ , which it was. Having confessed his feelings to her twice now, and each time she turned him down… well, it was difficult to move past that. He still cared for her and she still didn’t return his feelings. And they were both acutely aware of that. But he powered through his embarrassment and heartache anyway. Because, even though it broke his heart, Barry wanted Iris to be happy. And he wanted to be in her life, always. Even if it was just as friends.

“I… uh… I gave him my number,” Barry offered her, trying to avoid lying too much about Len since Iris was still unaware of Barry’s identity as the Flash.

“That’s great, Barry!” Iris said cheerfully. She moved to touch his arm but then halted at the last second as though thinking it might not be a good idea. After only a quick pause, though, Iris followed through with the action. She gave Barry’s arm an encouraging squeeze. “Did you steal a kiss?” She whispered, and Barry’s immediate blush was answer enough for Iris as she squealed cheerfully. “I’m so happy that you’re getting out there!” She said and her voice only sounded a _little_ awkward about it.

Barry smiled softly and nodded.

“Me too.”

[] [] []

“Have you eaten all of your candy yet?” Len asked his daughter. They were sitting inside Andy’s house, himself on the sofa and Sophie sitting on a stool in front of him with her back to Len as he brushed her hair.

“No, Mummy made me save most of it for later,” she sighed as though it was the biggest travesty in the world. Len liked that. When he and Lisa were kids, they’d been forced to grow up fast. By the time he was Sophie’s age, he’d already started learning that the world was a terrible place and that everyone would eventually let you down. But Sophie was so far untouched by the world, she was so innocent and Len would give anything to keep her that way for as long as he could manage.

It hurt him to realise that this innocence and child-like naivety wouldn’t last much longer: Andrea was getting sicker every day and Len knew it wouldn’t be long until Sophie lost her mother. No matter how much Len wanted to protect her from the darkness in the world, he couldn’t protect her from that.

“Did someone say candy?” Lisa asked, appearing behind them after letting herself into the house. “And where exactly would these leftovers be?” She teased.

“Aunty Lisa!” Sophie squealed happily spinning around and out of Len’s reach.

“My Liege,” Lisa replied, bowing at Sophie in a grand swooping gesture. Sophie got up and ran to her. Lisa snatched her up quickly and into a big hug. “How’s the young Queen doing this morning?” She asked and Sophie shook her head, making her curls bounce.

“I’m not Elsa anymore, Aunty Lisa,” Sophie said and Lisa shook her head instantly.

“But you’ll always be a Queen,” she said, pinching Sophie’s cheek and making the young girl laugh. Len smiled as he watched the interaction. He was glad that Lisa had taken to Sophie so quickly… it had been harder at first for Len to show that kind of affection to his daughter. But, over the months, he’d learnt to allow his guard down around her. It was difficult to unlearn something that had taken him nearly 40 years to perfect in the first place, but it was worth it to see Sophie smile at him.

He’d only been a father for about six months, but his life had already changed so much for the better.

“But, speaking of Halloween,” Lisa said. “How did you like your present?” Lisa was talking about the diamond snowflake hair clips that she’d procured for Sophie’s costume and Len shook his head at the reminder but Sophie was already talking excitedly about her new favourite hair accessories.

“But Mummy says I have to wait u’til a special day to wear them again,” she pouted and Lisa nodded.

“Your Mum has a point,” Lisa said. “You wouldn’t want to lose them, would you?” Sophie shook her head no and sighed sadly as Lisa put her back onto the floor. “Where is Andy?” She asked Len and he nodded to the window.

“Back garden,” he answered and Lisa nodded.

“Do you want to go join her?” She asked Sophie who nodded quickly and started running towards the door. Len and Lisa followed after her but in a much slower fashion.

“Hey, don’t mention the clips around Andy, okay?” Len asked once they were alone. “She probably wouldn’t appreciate that they were stolen.”

“Oh, Lenny,” Lisa said with a shake of her head. “You don’t think that she’s already put two and two together? She used to be a thief too, you know. And any good thief can spot a real diamond when they see one,” she said.

“Still…” Len said. Lisa had a point and Andrea probably _did_ already know about the clips, but he’d made a promise to her months ago that he would try his best to keep Sophie away from this kind of thing. Andy didn’t want their daughter raised into a life of crime and, when Len really thought about it, he didn’t want that either. Lisa, on the other hand, had made no such promises which she liked to point out to Len on a regular basis.

When they made it outside, Sophie was running towards her swing set while Andy sat on the large wooden bench with a cup of green tea in her hand. They joined Andy and Len watched his daughter play happily. He was still amazed sometimes by just how domestic his life had become. He’d never expected this for himself.

“Lisa, I didn’t know you were visiting today,” Andy greeted and welcomed the hug that Lisa offered her.

“Well, my day was free so I thought I’d stop in and visit my favourite family members,” she replied and then smiled devilishly as she turned to Len. “And my brother is here too, apparently.”

“Love you too, Sis,” Len said with a roll of his eyes. They sat down beside Andrea but Len didn’t like the look in Andy’s eyes as she watched him.

“So, Lenny,” Andy said. She started smiling in a way that made Len uneasy. “Sophie tells me that she had a great time trick or treating with you yesterday,” she said and Len sighed, knowing exactly where this was going. “From the sounds of it, you had a pretty good time too.”

“What’s that mean?” Lisa asked, looking over at her brother and frowning. “What did you do?” She asked, sounding disappointed already. Len rolled his eyes but Andy was the one to answer.

“He met a guy.”

Lisa lifted a perfectly sculpted eyebrow in surprise, turning back to Len with excitement now rather than apprehension.

“Oh? What’s he like?” She asked and Len sighed, resigned to his fate now that these two women were nosing into his love life. He knew from past experiences that Lisa was like a dog with a bone when she wanted to be, nothing would tear her away from this conversation so he might as well go along for the ride.

“He’s nice,” Len said, uncomfortable already.

“Just nice?” Andy asked, sounding disappointed. Lisa raised her hand to placate Andy though.

“Lenny has a different vocabulary than us when it comes to talking about guys,” Lisa told her and Len rolled his eyes in response to it. “Here, I’ll translate: nice means that he is _smoking_ hot.”

“You’re an idiot,” Len snarked and Lisa grinned.

“That means I’m right,” she said to Andy, making the woman laugh. It was good to see her carefree for a moment, she was in so much pain all of the time and only getting worse as she continued to not respond to treatment. The doctors had warned them that it wouldn’t be long now until her body gave out. Len found himself hoping for a miracle. It was stupid and naïve, but Andrea was his friend and the mother of his child… he didn’t want her to die.

“Sophie seemed to like him,” And said, looking over at their daughter playing on the swing. It made Len realise the real reason why she wanted to learn about Barry. It wasn’t just gossip for her, she was going to die soon and she needed to make sure Len wasn’t going to be bringing home some bruiser. Len’s relationship with Barry was fresh, so new that he hadn’t even texted the guy yet. But Andy was sharp and Len supposed that it didn’t really matter whether their relationship grew or not because learning about Barry would help her to piece together what kind of person Len would be interested in bringing home to their daughter after she was gone.

Plus, Barry had already spent an evening with Sophie and, if the TV was to be trusted, that was probably _far_ too soon to have introduced him to Len’s little girl. Not like that introduction could have been helped considering the way that they’d met. But yes, Len understood why Andy would want to know more about Barry and he wasn’t looking at denying her that right.

“Barry is kind and smart,” Len reassured her. “And he’s patient with Sophie too.” And there was so much more that Len had noticed during their one night together, but he figured that these were the characteristics that Andy would be most interested in. Andy nodded happily, seeming to relax a little more again. He wanted to bring back that carefree laugh though, and so he continued. “And, yes, he is also smoking hot. He looks like some sort of cross between a cherub and a Greek God.”

Len smiled as he succeeded in making Andrea laugh again. She placed her hand on Len’s shoulder and nodded.

“Good, you really need to get laid,” she said and Len tilted his head in acknowledgement. She patted his shoulder and then reached for her walking stick, using it to leverage herself up onto her feet. Len frowned as he watched her but he knew better than to offer her his assistance: she was too proud to accept it. Andy excused herself and went back into the house, hobbling as she went. Len hated seeing her in so much pain.

“Kind, patient, smart…” Lisa listed once Andy was out of earshot. “It doesn’t really sound much like your type.”

“Andy is all of those things,” Len rebutted but Lisa waved away his remark easily.

“Yeah, now that she’s a _mum_. But I remember what she was like when you two were together: she was hell in high heels. It’s one of the reasons why you liked her,” Lisa said and Len had to admit that that was true. “So, what gives?”

“Barry’s…” Len paused as he thought of the right words to describe Barry. “He’s _powerful_ too,” Len told her after a short pause. And it was true. Len had originally only flirted with Barry because it was _fun_. He hadn’t been with anyone in a while and making Barry blush gave him just a little too much entertainment. And Lisa was right, Barry _was_ attractive. Len had thought that maybe he’d get a good fling out of their encounter.

But then he’d talked to Barry and the more he heard the more intrigued he got. He’d never expected Barry to be capable of stealing chocolate from someone from right under their nose, or how he pushed back at Len and gave as good as he got when Len was flirting with him, or the power and protectiveness that shone through in his voice sometimes when he spoke.

Barry was like a puzzle, one that Len found himself _eager_ to piece together.

Lisa let it drop and they fell into an easy silence as they sat together and watched Sophie play on the swing.

[] [] []

Barry was at work when he got the text. His mind was preoccupied with reading the results from the ELISA as he picked it up and he almost dropped it again instantly.

From: _**Unknown**  
_ Received: __**10:25am**  
**Hey. Thanks for showing me and Sophie around the other night. I’d like to see you again. Len**

Barry looked over his shoulder nervously as though someone would be able to figure out that Captain Cold had just texted him. Barry quickly and repeatedly tapped his finger on the back of his phone as he stared at the text and wondered how to respond.

He should shut this down before it began. He should tell Len that he wasn’t interested or just flat out not reply. But that was kind of suspicious, right? Len might start thinking too closely about why Barry would just shut off so quickly. Or maybe he’d stop by his house! Now that _would_ be bad. Barry couldn’t let Joe see him!

Before he’d even fully realised that he’d talked himself into it, Barry was typing out a reply and hitting send.

To: _**Len**  
_ Sent: __**10:27am**  
**I’d like to see you again too**

From: _**Len**  
_ Received: __**10:27am**  
**Let’s grab a drink. When are you free?**

Barry’s stomach was twisting and his heart was beating double speed as he responded and arranged their next date.

Oh God... he was going to be in _so_ much trouble if anyone found out about this…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m kind of dreading when Andy dies, to be honest. I originally wasn’t going to write her into the fic at all and Len was only going to find out about his daughter after Andy had already died, but I changed my mind at the last minute. But it is going to be such a challenge for me to write that part of the fic because I’ve never really written characters dying before, not to mention the grieving that will follow it. I’m excited to do something new and to expand my skill set, but starting with a character like Len is going to be super difficult…
> 
> Anyway, please comment and let me know your thoughts! I’ll be going back to regular updates on all 3 of my coldflash WIPs now that my holiday and Christmas is out of the way.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another date, another secret to uncover...

Len walked into the coffee shop feeling a little nervous, but he tried to shake that off along with the chill from the outside wind. Len hadn’t felt nervous about a date in a long time and he wasn’t entirely sure why he felt that way now either. Sure, he liked Barry (more than he probably should after having only known him for a short week), but he’d always been able to hold his cool around people he’d liked in the past.

Maybe it was the venue that made this feel different? When he asked to meet someone for a drink, he usually meant at a bar, not at a café. He was out of his comfort zone here. But that was good, right? He wasn’t looking at dating the same type of people anymore. He was looking at dating someone stable and good and so the café was the perfect setting for that. But it was just so… normal. And Len hadn’t felt normal once in his entire life.

He spotted Barry on the far side of the shop and smiled at him in greeting. Barry smiled back. He looked nervous too but the kid wore his emotions on his sleeve much more than Len did. It was a sort of ‘ _fake it ‘til you make it_ ’ thing for Len. He’d needed to be confident and in control and so he’d acted as though he _was_ until one day he just didn’t need to act anymore.

Len joined the short queue and ordered a latte. He collected it and then went to join Barry at the corner table that he was sitting at. He put on a smile to hide his nerves as he sat down.

“Hey,” Barry said. He was wearing a navy-blue button-up shirt paired with a thick black jacket and he was grinning at Len in a way that made Len’s stomach flip. Fuck. He was already so screwed.

“Barry,” Len greeted and took a seat. “You look good,” he said and enjoyed the shy twist to the smile that he got in return. Len started to wonder if Barry had any idea of how good-looking he was. If he did, he certainly didn’t show it.

“You look pretty good yourself,” he said, still looking very nervous. He took a sip of his coffee as though he was trying to bide time as he came up with something to say.

“I’ve never been here before,” Len said casually. He never used to go to the centre of town very often unless he was pulling a heist, but those days were behind him now. It had been months since he’d done a job and he didn’t expect to be robbing anywhere else anytime soon: he was trying his best to keep to the straight and narrow now that he had Sophie to look after.

“Really?” Barry asked, sounding surprised. “This is the best coffee house in the city,” he said.

“You come here a lot, then?”

“Every now and then before work,” Barry shrugged and Len got a distinct impression that Barry was playing it down. He smiled and took a sip of his latte. Barry was right, it was good. And not as overpriced as the bigger coffee shops either.

“What do you do?” Len asked since the topic of work had already come up. Barry squirmed a little bit which made Len curious.

“I work in science,” he said. “Just… but it’s not that interesting,” he dismissed quickly and Len frowned.

“I think it is,” he replied but Barry was shaking his head.

“No, it’s honestly so boring. But what about you? What do you do?” He asked but then instantly looked like he regretted it. Len frowned but decided to let it drop.

“I own a bar,” Len said and Barry looked surprised as though he was expecting a different answer.

“Really? Where about?”

“Down on Park Street. It’s a bit of a biker bar,” Len explained. He was sure that Barry would have never heard of Saints and Sinners and it was probably better that he never stepped foot in there. So, Len wanted to deter him from the thought of it as soon as possible.

“That’s pretty awesome,” Barry said, he looked more relaxed again now. “How long have you owned it?”

“A few years,” Len shrugged after taking another sip of his coffee. “I used to work there back when it first opened, so I guess I bought it for sentimental reasons more than anything else.”

“I didn’t peg you as the nostalgic type,” Barry said and Len shrugged. He looked down at his cup momentarily before looking back up into Barry’s eyes.

“I don’t think anyone can truly say that there isn’t at least one thing that makes them nostalgic,” he admitted. Working at that bar had been a good part of his life. He had been barely 18, just escaped Lewis’ grasp, and desperate to get some money together so that he could go back for Lisa. It had been his first taste of freedom and the first place where he had been treated like an actual human being instead of the dirt on someone else’s shoe.

“I guess that’s true,” Barry nodded. He wrapped both of his hands around his cup and leant forward on his elbows a little more. “So, is that what you’ve always wanted to do? Own a business?”

“Not exactly. When I was a kid, I think wanted to be president,” Len admitted, huffing a laugh at the memory and Barry smiled too.

“Quite the career change,” Barry remarked and Len shrugged.

“It was probably for the better. My entire platform was based on the idea of making a monthly bank holiday where ice cream for dinner was a legal necessity in every house,” he said and Barry barked out a surprised laugh.

“You have my vote,” he joked and Len nodded graciously.

“So, what about you? Have you always wanted to be a scientist?” Len asked.

“Yeah, sort of,” he said and then drank the last swig of his coffee. “I actually wanted to be a doctor, like my dad.” Len pursed his lips slightly as he recalled what Barry had told him about his father the night they had met.

“Henry Allen?” He asked and Barry frowned.

“Yeah…” he answered slowly. “You know my dad?”

Of course, he did. Everyone who had been to Iron Heights knew the Doc, and most people believed him about his innocence: the man didn’t have a bad bone in his body, not even after all that time behind bars. But Len couldn’t tell Barry _that_.

“No, I just remember reading the story,” Len said swiftly. “I have an eidetic memory,” he said though it was actually true, probably the result of being hit one too many times around the head as a kid.

“Seriously? That’s amazing!” Barry said, completely dropping their previous conversation. And that was always the reaction that he got… everyone always thought that Len’s memory was a gift but Len only thought of it as a curse. He would rather be able to forget his troubled past completely than be able to remember it with such vivid detail.

But Len did what he always did: he just smiled and acted like it was all okay as Barry went on about how much he would have killed for an eidetic memory back when he was writing his thesis.

“But what about your family?” Barry asked. “You know all about mine by now, after all. Is it just you and Sophie or…?” Barry let the question drift off for Len to pick up.

“My parents died when I was young. A car crash,” Len said. Who knew, maybe it was true for his mother? He hadn’t seen or heard from her since Lewis went to prison, the first time. But as for Lewis himself… he was as good as dead to Len.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Barry said but Len just shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said and took his last mouthful of coffee before he continued. “But I do have a younger sister, Lisa. She’s the bane of my existence,” he laughed. “But at least she’s happy to babysit." It was about then that Len began to notice the sudden influx of customers. He tried not to let that bother him but he just didn’t like crowded spaces. It wasn’t so much a claustrophobia thing, more of a ‘not liking the thought of someone listening into his conversation’ kind of thing.

But Barry too was looking up now at the afternoon rush of people flooding in through the doors.

“Do, you want to get some fresh air?” Barry asked and Len was all too happy to agree as he got up and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair.

He let Barry lead him out of the coffee shop and then they wandered together in no specific direction as they continued to talk.

“Have you ever been abroad?” Len asked

“A few times, when I was younger. But not in a long time now. I guess I just like it here,” Barry shrugged. “I don’t feel the need to get away from it all. What about you?”

“I used to travel a lot, actually. I never really stayed in one place for too long.”

“But not anymore? Why?” Barry asked and Len smiled.

“I have a daughter.”

“Right,” Barry nodded. “Of course. I guess that having a kid changes things.”

“More than you’d think,” Len agreed with a sly smile.

“You have a good relationship with Sophie’s mother though?” Barry asked and Len nodded.

“I do,” he said. “If I’m being honest, I didn’t actually know that Sophie existed until earlier this year,” he admitted. Barry was going to find out one way or another if they kept dating and he’d surely find it weird that Len never told him about it. “I never thought that I wanted kids, and Andy knew that. She thought she was saving us all a lot of pain if I just didn’t know.”

Len paused as Barry took his hand while they walked, looking down at their entwined fingers briefly. His chest stung at the thought of everything that he had missed out on in Sophie’s life. When Andrea had first told him about Sophie, he’d been terrified about being a father. He couldn’t stop thinking that he might turn out to be as shitty as Lewis was. But he soon realised that his fears were in vain. He loved Sophie more than he thought it was possible to love another human being.

“I don’t blame her though. She doesn’t have enough time left for me to waste it being angry.”

“That must have been a difficult thing to forgive,” Barry said as he gave Len’s hand a quick squeeze. Len thought about it and shrugged.

“At first… yes. But Andy only did what she thought was best for our kid and that’s all I can really ask for from her.”

They kept walking, going nowhere in particular, and their topics turned to lighter subjects like favourite bands and films. Barry never let go of Len’s hand. Eventually, they stumbled across a hotdog vendor. Len didn’t realise how long they had been walking for or how hungry he now was until he could smell that wonderfully greasy scent. They had to let go off each other’s hands then as they bought as much food as they could carry and ate it as they walked home.

“What?” Len asked when he saw Barry grinning down into his hotdog.

“This is a very unconventional second date,” Barry said, lifting his street food pointedly. But he didn’t sound disappointed so Len thought that everything was still okay.

“Well, I’m a very unconventional person,” Len responded and Barry nodded.

“I know… I like that.”

Eventually, they were walking down Barry’s street, the food now completely demolished – quite literally in Barry’s case. Len didn’t understand how Barry could eat like that and stay so thin. When he’d said that out loud, Barry had just shrugged and explained it away as “witchcraft”.

“Do you want to come inside?” Barry offered, hooking his thumb over his shoulder and at the house.

“For coffee?” Len teased, his eyes dipping to roam quickly over Barry’s body, enjoying watching him squirm and swallow thickly.

“I mean… you can never have too much coffee,” Barry said, smiling softly.

“Hmmm,” Len thought and nodded. “You’re right about that.” Barry let out a small breath and reached for Len’s hand once more. His palm was warm but dry against Len’s skin and Len allowed himself to be towed towards the front door. His body began to stir as it caught up to the situation and he could feel his heart rate pick up pace.

Barry quickly unlocked the door and pulled Len inside. Len was surprised by the strength of the action but was all too happy to stumble forward against Barry. He brought up his spare hand as he did so to cup Barry’s cheek and moved swiftly into the kiss. He felt Barry smile against his lips and he dropped Len’s hand to instead wrap his arms around Len’s waist. He pushed against Barry and was surprised, but no less interested, when Barry flipped the situation and pushed back. Soon he was pinned against a wall with Barry’s leg between his thighs.

He gasped at the suddenness of the movement and Barry used that moment to lick into his mouth. Len smiled against the kiss and pulled Barry closer, as close as they could possibly get to one another, and enjoyed the feeling of Barry’s body pressed tight against his own. He had to admit, he was usually the one taking control and pushing his partners against the nearest flat surface when it came to making-out and sex; but on occasion, he also enjoyed when it turned out like this.

He was turned on by Barry’s power and how willing he was to take what he needed. And paired with that good heart that Len had seen from Barry, he was confident that Barry would never push him too far. It was an odd feeling to be this sure about a man he’d basically just met, but Len was certain on it.

Barry’s hands began to roam around Len’s torso and Len gave a quick jut of his hips up against Barry, hearing the man gasp a deep and tantalising moan. Barry’s hand left Len’s waist and found purchase against the wall next to Len’s head. He’d somehow managed to knock over an umbrella stand as he did so but they paid no attention to the large bang it made.

“Barry?” Someone called out further inside the house. “You home?” Both of their eyes shot open quickly in surprise.

“Iris!” Barry yelped, he pulled back from Len and straightened himself up… looking very much as guilty as a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar. With a laugh, Len realised that they hadn’t even gotten around to closing the front door yet and he moved around Barry to do just that.

That was about the time that a familiar face appeared from around the corner. She looked highly amused as she noticed the state of their clothes paired with Barry’s guilty expression.

“Am I interrupting something?” She asked and Barry was quick to shake his head.

“Ah, no. No, we, err, nope,” Barry stumbled through and Len laughed. How could this blundering mess of an adult be the same man that was confidently pushing Len against a wall and sticking his tongue in his mouth only a few seconds earlier? Barry Allen really was a puzzle. “I didn’t know you were here,” Barry finally said which made Len smile. This man was an idiot.

“Clearly,” Iris said, shaking her head. “And Dad and Eddie will be here soon too so you might want to take _that_ ,” she waved her hand in their general direction, “somewhere else.”

There was a visible shift in the room suddenly as Barry became tense. The smile fell from Len’s lips almost instantly as he studied his date. His first thought was that Barry’s foster father and whoever this Eddie was were homophobic or abusive. His hard life and even harder childhood had conditioned him to always assume the worst of anyone and any situation. But Iris was still smiling and amused, and Barry didn’t show any of the classic signs of abuse… so if not that, then what would cause Barry to react like this so suddenly at the drop of their names?

Barry turned around to look at Len, he was smiling but Len was sure that it was fake.

“Maybe we should pick this up another time?” Barry suggested. Was his voice a little strained or was Len just imagining it?

“That sounds good to me,” Len replied smoothly with a smirk. He allowed his eyes to trail down Barry’s body suggestively, but it was a calculated gesture. Something _was_ off about this and Len didn’t want to let on that he knew. But that didn’t mean that he couldn’t also enjoy the blush that formed across Barry’s cheeks.

Iris rolled her eyes.

“It was good to see you again, Len,” she said and Len nodded in agreement. “How is your little girl?”

“Well my sister is babysitting her today, so she’s probably eating her way into a sugar coma right now,” Len joked and Iris smiled.

“You should bring her around some time,” Iris suggested. “My dad is great with kids and I think he’s a little sad that Barry and I are all grown up now so he can’t spoil us anymore,” she joked. “I’m sure once he met Sophie you would have a babysitter for life.”

“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” Barry was quick to say before Len could respond. And there it was again, that tension emanating off of him. It was visible in his eyes now too… there was something that Barry was keeping from Len and it had to do with Iris’ father. But whatever it was, Iris was none the wiser of it. “I just mean…” Barry said as he realised that he’d drawn both Len’s and Iris’ gaze. “We’ve only just met, you know, and I think that it’s just a bit too soon,” he said.

Len nodded but his eyes were still sharp on Barry, watching for every twitch. What Barry said was true, it was too soon to be meeting the parent’s, but the way he said it was as though he was coming up with an excuse and alarm bells were now ringing in Len’s head.

“Right…” Len said. “Anyway, I better be going.” He leant forward to kiss Barry’s cheek goodbye and turned to smile at Iris. Barry opened the door for him, the tension dissipating quickly into what appeared to be relief. Len smiled and left.

But he didn’t go home.

He didn’t know what Barry was keeping from him but he was damn well going to find out. So, he went to his closest safehouse instead. He hadn’t used them in months so he was careful when entering to make sure that the place was still secure. But he saw nothing out of place and no signs that anyone had been here recently.

He slipped inside and quickly found one of his old laptops. It had a system downloaded onto it which was similar to what you could find in a police station; it could run a background check on pretty much any adult in Central City. It was a comprehensive tool which came in useful from time to time, though it only showed you the basic information… if he wanted any more detail then he’d have to hire someone to look into it.

Len hoped it wouldn’t come to that this time.

He typed in Barry’s name and address and then he waited. The laptop was cheap and old and so it took its time. But he wouldn’t _dare_ put a programme like this onto any laptop he had in his own home or that could be traced back to him in any way, it was too incriminating and not exactly a legal tool.

Len tried not to get impatient as he waited but his mind was still swimming with the worst scenarios. What if Barry was being abused but Iris just didn’t know about it? What if this Joe was some kind of predator? What if Sophie was at risk?

Len looked at his phone and was overcome with the urge to call his sister and check-in. But he managed to calm himself before he did something irrational. Lisa could handle herself and keep Sophie safe if it came to that. And if Len rang her now but it turned out that there was nothing wrong with Barry or Joe in the first place then Lisa might get some idea in her head to confront them. No, he rationalised that it was better to just wait for the facts before he acted.

Len clicked on the programme the second that it had finished its search.

 

 

_**Bartholomew Henry Allen**  
**D.O.B. March 14, 1989**  
__Known Alias: Barry Allen  
__Spent convictions:_ 0  
Unspent convictions: 0  
Police cautions: 0  
Police reprimands: 0  
Police final warnings: 0  
Previous Address: 3  
Current Address: 1  
Employment History: 4  
Public Record: 0  
Hospital Record: 1  
Rental Information: 0  
Hire Purchases and Conditional Sales: 0  
Electoral Register: Yes

 

 

At first glance, everything looked normal. Barry had no criminal record of any kind. Len clicked on his current address and confirmed that it was the same house that he had visited twice before. But he wasn’t satisfied yet. He moved on then to expand Barry’s employment history. Len stiffened when he saw that Barry was currently working for the CCPD. Could this be why Barry was acting so strange? Did he know who Len was?

Len went back and typed another name into the programme. He didn’t have the last name for Joe, but he had a home address and that should be enough. He could feel the tension in his body as he sat still and watched the programme slowly work its magic. Eventually, it came up with an answer.

 

 

_**Joseph West**  
**D.O.B. January 18, 1969**  
__Known Alias: Joe West_  
Spent convictions:  0  
Unspent convictions: 0  
Police cautions: 0  
Police reprimands: 0  
Police final warnings: 0  
Previous Address: 6  
Current Address: 1  
Employment History: 12  
Public Record: 1  
Hospital Record: 1  
Rental Information: 0  
Hire Purchases and Conditional Sales: 2  
Electoral Register: Yes

 

 

Joe West.

Joe _West!_

As in the Detective Joe West who was hell-bent on arresting Len and making his life a living hell. Len clicked on the man’s current occupation but he already had all of the proof he needed: Barry _did_ know who Len really was. He knew that Len was a thief and a murderer… that he was Captain Cold. He had probably known it this whole time since the moment they met on Halloween night.

So why was he dating Len instead of turning him into the cops?

There was only one answer that Len could think of. Barry was tricking him. This whole thing was a trap. Barry had to have some sort of ulterior motive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not 100% happy with this chapter, tbh. But here it is. Hope you guys enjoyed it at least.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len knows that Barry lied about his job and confronts him. Meanwhile, Andy takes a turn for the worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings for this chapter: minor character death. That’s right, the day is here. For your convenience, I split this chapter up into 3 parts. If you might be triggered by reading Andy’s actual death then I recommend skipping the middle part. But the final section is very important for the plot so don’t skip that one!

Barry stared at himself in the mirror and frowned. His tie was a little crooked. Barry tried to adjust it but it just looked worse. He tried again but still to no success. He pulled the tie off over his head and threw it back on the bed. But the outfit didn’t look right without the tie… the shirt was too bland. Another shirt then! Maybe the red one…? No, scratch that, he should stay away from the colour red while around Len. He didn’t want to give him any clues, no matter how small, that he was the Flash.

Barry sighed and picked out a grey crewneck knitted shirt instead. It wasn’t quite a sweater but it was thick and warm enough to wear in winter. Barry frowned a little longer at his reflection. He looked fine, but that wasn’t what he was worried about. He’d excepted now that he was really dating Leonard Snart. That was a thing that was happening. And he was happy too. But…

But he just kept wondering how it could work. He was the Flash dating an ex-convict. Sure, Len seemed to have changed his life around over the past six months and Barry thoroughly believed that everyone deserved a second chance. But what if it was just a temporary thing and Len decided to start stealing stuff again? Could he deal with that disappointment? And would Barry be able to trust him with his secret?

If this was going to be a long-term relationship then he was going to want to tell Len who he was at some point. But would Len be able to accept Barry’s secret so easily? Just because he wasn’t an active thief anymore didn’t mean that he trusted the law or any well-meaning vigilantes. Barry hadn’t read Len’s file since the Kahndaq Dynasty diamond case, though he had definitely been tempted to over this past week, and so he didn’t remember much about it. But he remembered that Len had been in the system since he was a kid. He had lived his whole life on the other side of the law so maybe he wouldn’t be so happy to accept a superhero as his boyfriend?

Barry couldn’t think too much on that though because the truth was, he would never know what would happen until he just went for it. Maybe he and Len would be together for years to come. Or maybe they would crash and burn right away. Barry hoped it was the former…

Eventually, Barry nodded at his reflection and headed downstairs. Joe was down there but he didn’t know anything about Barry’s date and Barry hoped it would stay that way. He wasn’t dressed all that different than normal but he was wearing a little more hair product and his _good_ aftershave rather than the cheap bottle he used for his every day. But, with any luck, Joe wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

Now, Barry wasn’t usually a very good liar and he didn’t really expect today to be any different, so he planned to be out of this house as soon as possible. He would say hi and then bye. That was it!

“Hey, Joe,” Barry called as he walked downstairs into the living area where Joe was watching a football match. Good, he was distracted. That would make this a little easier. “I’m going out with some friends,” He said and Joe nodded, not turning to look at him as he watched the game on TV.

“Sure, have fun,” Joe waved away. Huh, that was easy. Barry hadn’t needed to have read that whole Wiki How article on how to lie after all.

They were having dinner tonight at Len’s place but Barry ran over to the corner shop to grab a bottle of wine before heading there. He didn’t know what to bring really so he just picked whatever looked decent and wasn’t too expensive. Then he walked as calmly as he could right over to Len’s house on Crescent Avenue.

Len opened the door only a few seconds after Barry had knocked, and Barry leant over to kiss his boyfriend hello. Len smiled in return and opened the door wider to silently invite him in. Barry glanced around a little as he entered Len’s house, seeing it for the first time: the door opened onto a hallway. To the left, there was an archway leading in the kitchen diner, to the right the living room, and straight ahead there was a U-shaped staircase. Barry shrugged his jacket off and hung it up on the hooks next to the door. The place had clearly been decorated recently as the smell of fresh paint still clung to the air. But it wasn’t too strong that it was overpowering.

Len led him into the kitchen diner and Barry noticed a few trinkets and decorations scattered around, but the place was so pristine that it looked like it could be a showroom.

“Make yourself at home,” Len encouraged as he opened a cupboard to get a couple of plates. Barry noticed the small plastic set that was clearly for Sophie on a higher shelf and smiled to himself. Len had told Barry that Sophie stayed at her mother’s house and that was probably why the place was still so neat. But he could imagine how much different the house would be is Sophie lived here and it made him laugh to picture Len’s exasperation as he would chase his daughter through the house with a mop for dragging dirt in. “What?” Len asked, noticing Barry’s grin, but Barry just shook his head.

“Nothing,” he said. Len rolled his eyes and returned to what he was doing. He moved to open the oven and Barry was hit by the scent of salted meat mixed with citrus and various spices which he couldn’t _quite_ decipher. It smells amazing. “What are we having?”

“Prosciutto-wrapped chicken with spiced risotto,” Len said after placing an oven dish onto the counter. Barry had to suck in his stomach to stop it from growling.

“That sounds like heaven.”

“Well, that _is_ the secret ingredient,” Len said seriously and Barry huffed a laugh. “Do you want to open the wine?” Len asked, gesturing to the corkscrew hanging from a rack beside Barry. “The glasses are in the cabinet above you,” he said as Barry reached for the wine. He poured them both a drink, taking a sip from his and nodding: it was decent. Barry leant back and watched Len begin to plate out their food. “So, where do you work?” Len asked and Barry felt his stomach drop a little bit.

“I’m a scientist, remember,” Barry said. It wasn’t a lie. Except that it _was_.

“Yeah, I meant which lab do you work at?” Fuck. Why was Len asking questions about this? Not good. Very, very not good.

“I, er… Mercury,” Barry stammered out. His first thought had been to say STAR Labs but he’d just about managed to stop himself. A, people weren’t _really_ supposed to be working there still. And B, Len had met Cisco before so who knew how much he knew about STAR Lab’s involvement with the Flash?

“Oh, really?” Len asked. He put the kitchen spoon he was holding down and turned to face Barry full on. “I have a friend who works there. What project are you involved in?”

Fuck, fuck, _fuck_!

This was not happening.

Barry’s mind was drawing a complete blank. He took a sip of his wine to buy himself a little more time before answering, but that didn’t change the fact that he currently had _no idea_ what Mercury Labs were testing right now.

Barry looked up at Len, a nervous smile on his face. Len was casually leaning back against the counter and tapping his finger gently on the countertop. He was the perfect picture of cool. Except, the more that Barry looked, the more _forced_ it appeared. It was the eyes that gave it away. Len’s eyes usually had a lot of emotion or humour in them, but right now they were blank… one might even describe them as cold.

Which meant… Len already knew.

Barry put the wine glass back down beside him and took a moment to think about how to deal with this.

“Barry?” Len asked. He’d dropped his pretence now completely. His body was tense and his voice was sharper and angrier.

“You know where I work, Len,” Barry said. It wasn’t a question.

“I do.”

“How?”

“I don’t really think that’s important,” Len said, pushing himself off of the counter and stalking closer to Barry. “You know who I am, Barry,” Len drawled, his tone biting as he said Barry’s name. “And I know who you are.” Well, not quite… or God, Barry _hoped_ that Len didn’t know it all. If Len ever managed to figure out that Barry was the Flash then it would _not_ end well. “So, why don’t we cut the crap? What are you after?”

Barry just blinked.

“After?” Barry repeated. Did Len think Barry was using him for something?

“Drop the act already,” Len drawled, slow and deliberate. “What are you after?” He was standing so close now that he leant forward a little more, placing his hands on the countertop either side of Barry’s waist and effectively caging him in. Barry guessed it was supposed to be an intimidation technique but instead it was turning Barry on. Fuck. Len was so damn close that Barry could feel his body heat.

“I’m not after anything. I just like you, okay?” Barry said, eyes flickering down to Len’s lips and then back up to his piercing blue eyes. He swallowed thickly as Len just stared at him. It was like he was sucking all of the oxygen out of the room. “I shouldn’t, but I do.” Len said nothing and they just stared at each other silently as the seconds ticked by. Barry’s heart was racing, his knees going a little weak, and he could feel his dick reacting to the proximity and tension. Len seemed to notice it too as he glanced down momentarily. Barry was blushing by the time that Len made eye contact again, his face burning with heat.

But Len surprised him by closing the gap between them completely, pressing up flat against Barry and seizing his lips with his own. Barry gasped into the kiss but pushed back instantly. He wanted Len so badly. He wrapped his arms around Len’s neck as his thigh found a place in between Len’s legs. He was pressed up forcefully against the cupboards behind him as Len’s tongue entered his mouth. Barry groaned and rutted his hips forward. Soon though, Len was readjusting them and picking Barry up by his waist, making Barry gasp and pull back, hooking his legs around Len instinctively.

Len wasted no time and carried Barry to the table, laying him down on it and crawling on top of him. It was probably the hottest thing that anyone had ever done and Barry was eager to continue. He grabbed the collar of Len’s shirt with both hands and pulled the man down to meet his lips once more.

Barry was _so hard_. Fuck, he needed to calm down. He was going to come _way_ too soon if he didn’t pace himself.

But Len’s hands were slipping under his shirt and it felt _amazing_. Barry lifted up just enough and their kiss momentarily broke while Len pulled the shirt off over Barry’s head. And then they were kissing again. But Barry wanted, _needed_ , more! His fingers found the buttons on Len’s shirt and he started to pop them as quickly as he could. Len didn’t even break the kiss again as he struggled out of it and threw it on the floor to meet Barry’s.

And then there was skin to skin contact as their bare torsos pressed against each other. Len ground down against Barry and he gave a little whimper. Barry’s hands found Len’s pants then, struggling to unzip them and push them down his thighs along with his briefs. But Barry’s efforts were rewarded by the feel of Len’s hot, throbbing, naked cock against Barry’s thigh. Len’s hips started grinding against Barry and Barry knew he was on the verge of coming.

Desperately, he tried to think about something _other_ than the literal wet dream on top of him. Len’s hands found Barry’s hair and his lips found his collarbone, kissing and biting at it with reverence.

Dead puppies, dead puppies, _dead puppies_.

He was trying _so_ hard to keep himself from tumbling over that edge and shooting his load into his pants, but Len was making things incredibly difficult for him. Len’s landline started ringing then but Len made no move to answer it as he continued to assault Barry’s neck and chest with his wet hot kisses, each one of them sending a shiver down Barry’s spine. He was getting fed up on being the only one with clothes still on and Barry decided that if he came early, then he came early. It might hurt his ego but at least he would feel the press of Leonard Snart erect dick directly against his skin. And that was worth all of the embarrassment in the world.

Barry pushed his hand in between their bodies and just about managed to pop the button on his jeans before the ringing stopped and the call went to voicemail.

“ _Hi, Leonard Mendoza? This is Melissa calling from Central City Hospital_ ,” the message machine picked up and suddenly Len was pulling away. Barry blinked up at him as he tried to understand why Len wasn’t kissing him anymore. Then his eyes wandered down and he got is first look at Len naked. He was magnificent with his kiss bitten lips, wild eyes, the tattoos covering his torso and arms, and the large angry dick standing tall and proud. Barry wanted to lick it. Barry reached for Len’s hips but Len wasn’t paying any attention to him anymore. “ _I’m calling because your name is down as the next of kin for Ms Andrea Mendoza_.”

Len was off of Barry and rushing to pick up the phone so quickly that Barry’s head spun.

“This is Leonard Mendoza,” Len said into the receiver and Barry frowned. Mendoza? Where did that come from? Barry was going to ask but then his brain finally clicked into gear as Len said the next words: “how’s Andy? Is she okay?”

Andy? Andy was Sophie’s mother, she was dying of cancer. If this call was about her then…

“I’ll be right there,” Len said into the phone and then hung up. His face was emotionless once he turned around again and so Barry knew that it wasn’t good news. “I have to go,” was all Len said. He had already pulled his pants back up and was moving to grab his shirt off of the floor. Barry did the same. He wanted to ask questions but he didn’t know if he had the right to. He pulled his shirt back on and turned the oven off for Len as Len searched for his car keys.

“Do you want some company?” Barry offered.

“I’m fine,” was all Len said in response and Barry nodded. He wanted to ask if they were okay now but he knew that it wasn’t the time for it so he supposed he would just have to wait and see. Barry lingered for a moment as Len finally found his keys and then he grabbed his coat from the hook in the hallway.

“Call me if you need anything,” Barry said and he waited for Len to nod before slipping out of the door. He pulled his coat on and zipped it as he walked down Len’s drive. He’d only actually made it to the house over when he heard Len’s front door open and close again and he turned to see Len rushing towards his car and driving away. Barry couldn’t even begin to imagine what he was going through.

[] [] []

Andrea was dead.

Her caregiver had gone to visit her yesterday afternoon like she’d done every day for the past year, and Andy had been confused and drowsy. The nurse had called the ambulance and Andy had been admitted to the hospital and given oxygen, but it was soon clear that she wouldn’t last the night. So, the nurses had rung Len.

He’d raced over there as fast as he could, pausing only to call Lisa, and found Sophie curled up in a ball and weeping into one of the nurse’s shoulders. She’d cried out for him the moment that she’d seen him and the first thing he had done was pick her up and hold her close. He was always good at hiding his emotions but seeing his daughter crying like this brought tears to his own eyes too. And the worse part was that Sophie didn’t understand what was going on right now. She was crying because the strangers were keeping her from her mum… she didn’t understand fully what it meant when the nurses told her that Andy was dying.

He’d asked for information on Andy and had been taken to her room. He’d stood at the door and handed Sophie off to one of the nurses again, even has his little girl yelled and struggled and clung to his arm. Walking away while she was like that was the hardest thing Len had ever had to do. But once he’d opened the door to Andy’s room, he knew he’d made the right choice. Sophie shouldn’t see her mother like this.

Andy was lying in the hospital bed, completely still and unmoving. Her skin was pale and cold when Len went to hold her hand. Len would have thought she was dead if it wasn’t for the heart rate monitor attached to her finger telling him otherwise. Her eyes were dull and her breathing was shallow. She made eye contact with Len but she didn’t say anything when he spoke to her.

After a moment, the door opened again and a doctor walked in. She explained to Len that there was nothing more they could do as Andy fell in and out of consciousness. It was like a stab to the chest. He said goodbye to Andy but he didn’t know if she could hear or understand him. And when Lisa arrived, she did the same thing.

Lisa left Len alone in the room as she went to look after Sophie. And Len spent the next hour holding Andy’s hand. Some times she would open her eyes and look at Len, but she never spoke. And so, Len sat in silence, the only noise in the room coming from the beeping of the heart rate monitor. He stayed that way until Andy flatlined. And that was it, she was gone. His dear friend, the mother of his child, dead. He stayed still, holding her hand and looking into her empty eyes right up until the nurses came to turn off the monitor. One of them touched Len comfortingly on the shoulder before they left him alone again.

The room was definingly silent now. His breathing became ragged and his vision blurred as he looked at his friend lying in the hospital bed. He wished that they’d had more time. He wished that Sophie didn’t have to suffer this way. But Andy wouldn’t be there the next time that Sophie fell over and grazed her knee. She wouldn’t be there for Sophie’s first swimming lesson. She wouldn’t be there when her first tooth fell out. She wouldn’t be there for her first crush or her first broken heart. Sophie would never hold her mother’s hand again or hear her laugh.

Andy was gone. And Sophie was so young that in a few years she wouldn’t even remember what her mother looked like. But Len would always remember the strong, brave woman that Andy was. And he’d try his best to not let Sophie forget.

Eventually, Len stood up and let go of Andy’s hand. He closed her eyes, kissed her head, and walked away.

[] [] []

Sophie had fallen asleep at the hospital. So, after Andy died, Len had just put her in the car and drove her home. He thought about taking her to his place, but Sophie hadn’t slept at his yet and Len didn’t want to spook her if she woke up in the middle of the night. Lisa went back with him. She took the bed in the spare bedroom while Len crashed on the couch. Or tried to, at least. But Len had too much to do and he couldn’t shut his mind off.

So instead, he grabbed Andy’s laptop and started looking up funeral arrangements. Andy had told him that she’d wanted to be buried rather than cremated but she hadn’t had a preference for where. She’d joked once about going to pick out a spot, but the reality of that had been too morbid. So, it fell to Len to make sure she had a nice final resting place.

Before he knew it, hours had passed and Sophie was waking up. Len heard the floorboards creak in her room so he quickly closed the lid of his laptop and moved into the kitchen to start breakfast. He had premade some pancake batter a couple of hours ago so he took it out of the fridge and started heating up a pan on the stove. Len didn’t know what his daughter liked on her pancakes so he took out Nutella, jam, and all of the syrup he could find in the cupboards and put them on the kitchen table.

He’d just got the first pancake onto a plate when he heard Sophie behind him.

“Daddy?” She asked, her voice was sleepy and confused. Len smiled at her and put the plate on the table.

“Hey, Pumpkin,” he said softly. Len’s heart was racing in his chest as he looked at his little girl. They had been trying to prepare her for this day for months, but she was just too young to really comprehend why Mummy would be going away. She was a smart girl, but even last night she just hadn’t quite understood what was going on.

Sophie sat on her stool and looked down at her pancake but she didn’t touch it.

“Where’s my mummy?” She asked quietly and Len’s heart felt like it was breaking in his chest. He turned the stove down low and removed the pan from it before sitting down next to his daughter.

“Remember how we told you that Mummy was sick? And that’s why she couldn’t always play and you had to be gentle with her and not hug her too tight?” Len asked. Fuck. He had spent many nights looking up how to break the news of a parent’s death to a young child. But he still felt wholly unprepared and none of it was making this moment easier. “Well, Mummy got really sick last night. And she’s not going to be coming home.”

“Why?” Sophie asked, she still only looked confused.

“Because… she died last night,” he said. The words were lost on her. “That means that her body stopped working.”

“When’s she coming back?” Sophie asked and Len shook his head as he took Sophie’s hand.

“She’s not coming back, Sweetie. She’s gone to a better place,” Len said automatically and then cursed himself for it. He was supposed to be avoiding vague statements like that. “And by that, I mean she’s gone to heaven. It’s a happy place that good people go to when they die. But you can’t visit it when you’re alive.”

Len wasn’t the most religious of people, but it was definitely easier to tell Sophie that her mum was living with a magic man in the clouds than that she just didn’t exist anymore.

“But I want to see her,” Sophie complained.

“And I bet she wishes she could see you too,” Len said.

“Then why isn’t she _here_?” Sophie starting shouting, getting a little hysterical. Len swallowed around the lump in his throat. He tried to pull his daughter into a hug but she pushed him away and scrambled off of the chair.

Len tried not to feel hurt at her rejection. He knew that she might react this way. It was normal for her to pull away or get angry.

“ _I wanna see Mummy_!” Sophie screamed and Len was at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to comfort his own daughter. Len heard a noise behind him and looked over his shoulder to see that Lisa was standing in the kitchen doorway. But she looked just as lost for words as Len was.

“I know you do,” Len said, he got up off his seat and started creeping closer to his daughter. “I wish I could see her too.”

“No, you _don’t_!” Sophie screamed and fell to the floor in tears. And then suddenly, it was as though something had snapped inside Sophie. One second, she was his crying daughter. And then the next, her eyes were glowing a bright blue and there was mist seeping from her hands. When she fell to the floor, the tiles beneath her turned to solid ice at her touch.

Len’s initial reaction was to grab Sophie and pulled her into his arms, which he did. But she was _cold_. Her body felt like a giant ice cube and Len hissed in pain as she buried her head into his neck and cried. But he didn’t pull away. He held her close and rocked her back and forth as he stared at Lisa with wide, scared eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Situation successfully diffused! For the time being, at least. I have a feeling that Len still doesn’t completely trust Barry but you’ll just have to wait to see the blowout for that :)  
> And, Sophie’s powers have finally been activated. It’s not exactly a plot twist because I literally wrote about Sophie being a metahuman in the fic’s summary. But it is the first time she has found her powers. I’m excited to write Len’s struggles with this and I hope you guys will enjoy it too.
> 
> Also, I am super relieved that I wrote this chapter several weeks ago. There’s been a cancer scare in my family recently. It’s fine, the doctors did tests and have officially ruled it as not cancer! But I don’t know how I would have been able to write this chapter if I’d left it just a little later.


End file.
